What to Do with Haters

'I gave My back to those who struck Me,
And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.'
Isaiah 50:6

When we think of success, what do we think of? When we think of living out of our calling, what images come to mind? In an increasingly perfectionist and analytical society, success and power are often dependant on the ability to create and maintain a slick reputation. There are companies whose sole job is to create and recreate the persona and public perspective of high power individuals: politicians, actors and businessmen. Attempting to control the thoughts of the masses is high on the priority list if you seek to be a public figure in a modern age. It takes a lot of work to structure your words and actions to avoid alienating yourself in any way from those around you. In fact, it could easily become a full time job: part performance and part damage control. And it's not just the high powered who embrace this tenuous work. We can all feel pressured to shape the opinions of those around us in our favour, whether it is through careful social media pruning or in the way we conduct ourselves verbally to those around us. It is very much a twentieth century, first world problem, but it is understandable. People are watching. And they are making judgement.

I know some people who are boldly themselves. They let the disapproval of others slide from them like water off a duck's back. They know who they are and they are comfortable in their own skin. For the rest of us, we can become so concerned with what other people think that it begins to break into who we are. Before long we find that we have sliced pieces of ourselves off to suit the expectations of others. Or added behaviours that we think those around us want us to have. All this cutting and modelling can leave us feeling pretty inauthentic, resentful and stressed out. Pretty soon we can even forget for ourselves who we actually are.

The reason I have chosen this unusual Bible verse to focus on today is because I feel there are some vital principles relating to personal calling. This passage is a Messianic, prophetic portion of Scripture. It was written from the perspective of the coming Christ, revealing something of His work, His calling and His attitude to a world who would ultimately reject Him. See, despite the fact that He would be crucified, ridiculed and rejected in the most barbaric ways, Christ was not daunted by his haters. He had a job to do. One commissioned by the Father and He set His face like flint to do so. If we start looking around at all those people who seek to pull us down, we will fast lose sight of what it is that we are called us to do. I believe there is a concept that can be gleaned from this verse. Christ gave His back to His persecutors and this is a very interesting stance to take. He did not fight His enemies. He simply shifted His position so that they were not in His line of sight anymore. We can spend our whole life trying to fight our opponents. Trying to reason and convince them that they are wrong, that they are misunderstanding us. Jesus knew this was a fast track to falling away from His calling and we need to understand this, too. There will always be a critic. Engaging with them will keep us from the work we are meant to be doing.

Constructive criticism from those who know us and are wise, trustworthy friends is a valuable tool. But some people just want to look for the negative or fill in the blanks of what they don't understand with their own opinions. While the people themselves are not necessarily our enemies, their attitudes are toxic and can become obstacles to us, if we are not bedded deeply and confidently in who we are in Christ. The answer is simple. Know who you are and get comfortable in your calling. God has put you in your skin for a reason. He has given you gifts and talents to bless those around you. Like Christ, refuse to hide. The truth is, you will face opposition. You will face conflict. It is not your job to try to prevent that. Nor is it your job to squeeze and shape yourself to popular opinion. Your job is simple. Be you. Bravely and boldly. The people who you are meant to influence, will be influenced. As for the rest? They are God's job.

Uncertainty: the Birthplace of Trust

I often forget that while I am stuck in the middle of my own story, there is someone who stands above it, knowing beginning from end and everything in between. I wonder if we could really grasp this, how different our lives could be. The concept brings to mind a quote by author Margaret Attwood:

She states:
“When you are in the middle of a story it isn't a story at all, but only a confusion; a dark roaring, a blindness, a wreckage of shattered glass and splintered wood; like a house in a whirlwind, or else a boat crushed by the icebergs or swept over the rapids, and all aboard powerless to stop it. It's only afterwards that it becomes anything like a story at all. When you are telling it, to yourself or to someone else.”

I can so relate to the concept of wild, blind confusion where all the bits of life are swirling around with no apparent rhyme or reason. When things are not going to plan, it is easy to feel that our life is in chaos, that there is no rhythm or purpose or stability. It is easy, when uncertainty looms overhead, to think that these feelings are true. That we actually are lost and restless, tossing on a sea of random events. But is it true?

God tells us in His Word that He works all things together for good. He works His will in us and His purpose is revealed in all His dealings with His children. While we may feel as though things are out of control, they never actually are. We can relieve some of the discomfort of uncertainty by recognising that no matter how senseless the events seem right now, there is a time coming when we will look back and say, 'yes, I see the hand of God in that.' Life is hard. Sometimes we have to cling to that truth like a splintered board on a storm tossed sea. But this, I believe, is where we can learn to walk in the perfect peace of Christ. The peace that passes all understanding.

Uncertainty is the birthplace of trust in God, and as uncomfortable as it is (and as often as I keep saying it) it is an opportunity to deepen our intimacy with God and grow our endurance. A condition of want creates a space for God to fill. And He will. Chances are, that's exactly what He's trying to teach you.
Lean in. Hope. Someone is standing above it all.

If You've Got it, Sow it.

There is something really appealing about a person living fully alive. When individuals tap into that creative well within and begin to step forward in confidence into their gifts and calling, it is like a divine breath of life. It doesn't matter whether your calling is writing books, saving lives or making coffee. The art of living out of your sweet spot is dynamic, life giving and inspiring.
It is also...Scary.

Discovering what stirs you is one thing: having the courage to run with it, is another thing altogether. What if it's weird? What if it doesn't fit the mould? Maybe there's no job role for what it is that floats your boat. The diversity between us never ceases to amaze me. But what are we supposed to do with that unusual combination of gifts, insights and failings that make us who we are?

Run with them.
Eek. I can hear you screaming. That is all very well, you might say, but what if it doesn't work? Well, I have a simple answer.
It will work.

See there's a principle at motion when it comes to those stirrings inside us. God is a good God and he has placed a little spark within each of us. They are divine seeds and they require one thing: to be planted. Those seeds will toss around inside you like Mexican jumping beans until you get 'em out and press them into the earth. It is called sowing, and in God's economy, the return is something you can take for granted. What? You say. Does this mean that everything I do will bring a glorious harvest? What it means is this: you can't NOT do it. It is all part of moving forward into the will and plan of God for your life. Even if the harvest is not mind blowing, it is still accomplishing an important work: shaping you, making you a little older and wiser. God's blessing will be on anything you give Him, even if the outcome is different to what you anticipated.

It is a Divine principle promised to His children. He works all things together for good. Contrary to some popular belief, He actually wants us to flourish. For too long we have been tempted to think He is standing there with his pruning shears waiting to snip off any shoot of industry that should emerge in our lives. When did we forget that we are His children?

Our job is simple: If you've got, sow it. Trust him with the outcome. He will bring the sun and the rain. He will do the pruning and the staking. The life of a gardener is a life of faith: one that takes for granted the principle of life. Sometimes the seed may perish into the ground, sometimes the pests may come, but it is all working toward tomorrow's harvest. The real tragedy is to quit sowing.

Believe it or Not, the Gospel is Actually Good News

Why is it that so many of us God-loving sons and daughters have become convinced that who we are is not okay?
For too long I have struggled with a sense that I am not good enough for the God life, and I have a sneaking suspicion from conversations with others that I am not the only one.
Frequently I see people I know and love running from God because of the belief that somehow He won't be pleased with them. Somehow we have out-sinned his grace. Or we simply feel so overwhelmed at how far short we fall that we avoid Him altogether.

Where has this God-pleasing attitude come from? Because when I look at the Gospel, people ran TO Jesus not from Him. The ones who did run, were those who were full of religious pride and self righteous, judging attitudes. Jesus' simple, gracious gospel was not a good fit. It scraped away all those parts of themselves that they were counting on. Their works. Their intellect. Their position in the religious system. These were the things that filled them with pride and self satisfaction. The concept of a God who couldn't give two hoots about their accomplishments was not a good fit at all.

On the other hand, the messy, the sinful, the awkward and the outcasts were among those who sat at His table and thirstily drank up His words. They found Him to be a good fit. Full of comfort and making up abundantly for those parts of themselves that they found were lacking.

You see, in its time, the Gospel was actually considered to be a GOOD thing.
It was the mighty leveller and its emphasis shifted according to who Christ was speaking to. He warned the proud that they would be brought low. He told those who were counting on their own merits for salvation that their works were as filthy rags.
To those who were humble, honest about their failings, He gave a message of hope. They would be lifted and raised up. His grace would cover their sins and a robe of righteousness would shroud their failures.

We get it fundamentally wrong when we switch this principle. Berating ourselves for our sin, our weakness is not Godly, it's not healthy and it is NOT the Gospel of Christ. Our requirement is not sinlessness. Our requirement is simple.
Come.
Come often.
Come honestly.
Come expecting.

Father God is not freaking out over your failures. He knows them well. This Christian gig is not about getting it right. It's about adoption and the beauty of this is that the Parent is the one who assumes the responsibility for working His will in His kids.
He will guide us.
He will shape us.
He will do the work.
Don't get tricked into running, thinking you are unacceptable to God. It's one of the enemy's biggest weapons to keep you locked into guilt and avoiding the God who wants to do the work in you.

'He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble

He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.'

Luke 1:52,53

Bitter/Sweet

I want to touch on something that I wrote about a couple of weeks back: the dynamic effect of the Cross on whatever it touches. The Cross does not necessarily change our circumstances. It does, however, provide a new lens through which we can view what is happening around us. This is the work of redemption vs the work of the miraculous. There is a time and a place for both. There are times when the Lord will remove the obstacles from our life and there are times when He will work on our muscles so we can climb over them instead. Both are necessary parts of our development. Both teach us something about God. Our victory is not limited to the lining up of ideal circumstances. It is so much more powerful than that. The cross has the power to plunge into the thick of a terrible situation and transpose our perspective, so that we can have the faith and strength we need to endure.

The Lord showed me this principal of action during a quiet time some weeks ago. He pointed me to the story in Exodus 15, where the Israelites had been three days without water. When they finally came across a stream, the water was completely bitter and unfit for drinking. God gave Moses an unusual cure:

'Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.' Exodus 15:22-25

There are no random happenings in the timeline of God's movings amongst His people. In this story we see a piece of wood transforming undrinkable water into a source of refreshment in their dire need. Some several thousand years later, another piece of wood has the power to bring the change we so desperately need. The power of the Cross lies in its ability to transform whatever it touches. Whether it is the circumstance itself or our mental stamina to handle the circumstance. Whichever way the Lord chooses to work in our individual challenges, the principal remains the same: what is bitter will become sweet when touched by the redemptive work of Christ.

If you've prayed and the circumstance isn't changing, take heart! God is inviting you to drink deeply from His sweet supply. In times when my own circumstances have been bitter, God taught me to feed from Him, day by day, sip by precious sip. As I look back on experiences in my life that were intense, overwhelming or painful, I'm surprised by how often the memory has been cleansed. While the situation was bitter, I'm left with the aftertaste of sweetness: the hallmark that God was there.
He will sweeten the circumstance or sweeten you. Either way, you're going to be ok. Just keep leaning in and let the Cross touch it.

'Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.' 

Psalm 37:3